Lindsey Zelli loved The Play That Goes Wrong the first time she saw it in New York.
“I just laughed and laughed,” says Zelli who plays Sandra a.k.a. Florence in Virginia Rep’s current production of the show, playing through October 18. “I was so impressed by the physical comedy. I said ‘I would love to be in that show. It’s a bucket list show for me.’”
The slapstick comedy centers on the play, The Murder at Haversham Manor, being staged by the local Cornley Drama Society. There’s only one problem with the production — from the very beginning, everything goes wrong.
A Choreographed Dance
“You are going on this journey with the actors as they put on this show and try to problem solve when things go wrong while trying to stay true to the story they are trying to tell,” Zelli explains.
Zelli, who studied Commedia dell’arte (an early form of theater that featured improvisation) when she was in school, has had the opportunity to “flex that muscle in every show that I have done,” she says.
“This show is like a choreographed dance. You have to have it correct. You have to keep it in time because there are multiple people involved.”
The show’s fight and movement director, Casey Kaleba, is “incredible,” she says.
“He worked with us to make it a seamless dance that we all do,” Zelli adds.
One of her biggest challenges in doing this production is stamina.
“This does require a lot of work. It really requires stamina. We all have to put that into the show to make it successful,” Zelli says.
Joel White, who plays Max and also the characters Max portrays in the ‘play within the play’ (Cecil and Arthur), concurs that the play can be taxing physically.
“This is one of the most physical shows I have ever had to do,” he says. “It’s extreme physical comedy. At the end of the each performance, I feel like we have all competed in a rugby match together.”
He believes that many people think a play with tragedy is more challenging than a comedy.
“Any actor will tell you the opposite is true,” he says. “As a performer, I enjoy that challenge. The risk is the difficulty, but the reward of having the joke land with the audience is one of my favorite things as a performer.”
White was thrilled when he saw auditions for the show. “I felt like the stars were aligning,” he says. “It’s a farce, and that is what I like to do and what I am best at doing. When I saw Paul Takács was directing, it was like striking gold.”
A Little Laughter Goes a Long Way
While Zelli is juggling the play along with motherhood, White is working as a lawyer when not on stage. “I am fortunate that I work at a small law firm that has appreciation for my work in theater,” he says. “It is exhausting doing both but also rewarding.”
Zelli sees the show as a welcome relief from the worries of the world.
“We all need a laugh today,” she says. “If laughter is the best medicine, you should be vaccinated for the rest of the year after seeing this show.”
White hopes the play makes people’s day a bit “better and brighter,” he says. “I hope it bring people into the theater.”
The show, which runs two hours with intermission at Virginia Repertory Theatre, 114 W. Broad St., is for audiences age 8 and up. For tickets, visit va-rep.org.
